Investing in people brings great benefits. When those people are the children and families of your community, the return on investment is invaluable. Patty Lewis and Julia Mombello are doing just that and more. The founders of the Adam J Lewis Academy are leading this charge. They believe our children are the future.
Q: What is your connection to the Academy?
Patty: Julie and I are Co-Heads and Co-Founders of AJLA. We started the school with the idea that all children deserve a high-quality education regardless of their financial situation. We saw the inequities right over our border in Bridgeport and wanted to provide an option for families that did not involve a lottery number. We strongly believe in the power of a good education and how it can transform lives.
Julie: Patty and I taught together and worked in Admissions at Greens Farms Academy. One day, over lunch, she mentioned that she wanted to open a Preschool in Bridgeport to provide an exceptional educational experience to children living in the city. She needed some help with public speaking when fundraising. I told her I would be happy to help but needed to understand the whole picture. The rest is history as we worked together to open the school and create a first-rate program.
Q: Please tell our readers the origin story of the Academy. What was that journey like?
Patty: We named the school after my husband, Adam J. Lewis, who died on 9/11. He was a product of educational opportunities that transformed his life, and we hope our school can have that same effect on our students and families. As Julie mentioned, the idea for the school started when we were working at Green’s Farm Academy. I thought then - wouldn’t it be great if someone (someone else) opened a high-quality Pre-K Program, so more children could take advantage of the scholarship opportunities available? The idea stuck with me, and then, as my children got older, I decided to open one myself. We found a small multi-family house on the east side of Bridgeport, where we opened the Adam J. Lewis Preschool. It had a Montessori influence and was a mix of 3 and 4-year-olds. In 2018, we grew into an independent elementary school and became Adam J. Lewis Academy, moving into our current building on State Street. Next year, we will open a middle school with our students graduating in 2027 as 8th graders. We plan to help our students and families find and apply to high-quality High Schools in the area and follow them into 9th grade with transition teams.
Julie: Patty’s husband Adam’s life trajectory changed after receiving a scholarship to Dalton in NYC and then Hamilton College. Patty wanted to honor his memory when he was killed on 9/11. Patty decided to honor Adam’s legacy by creating a school with his name.
Q: How do you describe the overall philosophy of the Academy and how is your approach unique?
Patty: We firmly believe that relationships are the cornerstone of any effective educational program. The relationship between students and teachers is paramount, and the culture of our school is critical to the overall learning. We intentionally create a positive, safe, and joyful learning environment while providing a rigorous academic program. Our curriculum is a hybrid between science-backed skill instruction and a project-based themed curriculum, which allows students meaningful opportunities to practice those skills and increases the joy and engagement of each student. There is a strong emphasis on social-emotional learning, and that curriculum begins in PreK3 and continues throughout all grades. We are also proud of our cultural and socio-economic diversity. Our students are learning from the teachers but also from each other, and our hope is that through their 11 years with us, they will become moral leaders of tomorrow.
Julie: Providing a strong foundation is absolutely essential for the acquisition of skills. We teach our skills using a project-based approach so that students are interested in what they are learning and not just memorizing facts. We also believe that the home/school connection is critical to the success of every child, so we have formed a parent commitment agreement that requires our families to get involved and stay involved with their children’s education.
Q: What is the overall mission of offering this opportunity and these services to the greater community?
Julie: We want our students to be prepared both academically, emotionally, and morally for life after AJLA. We plan to be involved with finding high schools that are the best fit for all of our graduates and keeping in touch to help them navigate life in high school and beyond. We work hard to connect our families to opportunities and resources in Bridgeport and the surrounding areas. When a family's life situation is improved, children are better prepared to learn. We offer in-house English classes to our families interested in improving their language skills. We also have a scholarship available for AJLA parents to take classes for free at neighboring Housatonic Community College.
Q: What are some short-term and some long-term goals your are looking to achieve?
Patty: One short-term goal is to prepare for our new 6th graders next year. It is a new grade and a new division that we have been planning all year. Our goal is to have the middle school be an extension of the overall school and also be its own distinct division. There will be a strong emphasis on the social-emotional development during these fragile years and helping to prepare them for the rigors of high school. Another short-term goal is to find more teachers to fill the growing positions. There are always the annual fundraising goals. We have a sliding-scale tuition model where families only pay what they can. No one pays the full tuition, and we do not accept public funding. Thus, we are always looking to introduce ourselves and find new funding opportunities. Long-term goals are to begin planning for our 8th grade graduates. We are identifying all possible high schools in the area, and we will connect with them and start preparing for placement in 3 years. We are also looking forward to possibly adding a gym and small theater to our campus.
Julie: Our short-term goal is to finish renovating our new middle school facility, located in the building next door to our current location. We are excited about the creation of an AJLA campus. This year, we finished our elementary growth and now have grades PreK - 5th. We will continue growing until we reach 8th grade and then will graduate our 1st class in the Spring of 2027. Long term, we would like to expand our endowment to ensure our sustainability for years to come. We also would like to keep in touch with our graduates as they move into high school, college, and beyond so that we can see them mature into moral citizens and achieve success in ways that are most meaningful to them.
Q: What does success look like to you? What does it look like down the road?
Patty: Right now, success looks like the promising data we have on how 78% of our students are performing at or above CT standards. It also comes in the form of 98% approval ratings from our parents. But most importantly, it is the individual stories that inspire us the most. Students who came in with either academic or SEL challenges are now thriving. Students who spoke no English are now fluent and leaders in their class. Moms who have taken our in-house English classes. Parents who have taken advantage of our free classes at Housatonic Community College and are earning degrees and getting better jobs. It is the retention rate of our teachers. Down the road, success will be our first graduation in June of 2027! Some of those students will have been with us for 11 years. Seeing how they’ll have grown academically and personally and watching them step into their new chapter of life fully prepared for all that is to come.
Julie: Success now and down the road means continuing to provide a high-quality education. We hope to develop 11 year relationships with our families as they enter AJLA in PreK and remain with us through 8th grade. Our students will learn to think creatively, problem solve and advocate for themselves. They will be emotionally intelligent and understand empathy and compassion. They will show resilience, initiative and integrity.
Q: How can area residents learn more about joining the school and this community? How can they contribute to the overall mission?
Julie: We invite anyone who would like to come for a visit to please call us. There are opportunities to read in our classrooms, come for a tour, and learn more about AJLA - we love to talk about our school and its mission. Right now, our biggest challenge is fundraising as we raise money for our operating budget and the renovations of the new middle school space. We welcome any chance to introduce ourselves to people who haven’t heard about AJLA or talk to potential corporate sponsors- spreading the word about our mission is essential to our continued success. We also have a wonderful party planned to celebrate our 10-year anniversary. Tickets are available on our website. Please join us!
Q: What are you proudest of achieving thus far?
Patty/Julie: We are very proud of the AJLA community, which is made up of parents, teachers, students, friends, and supporters. So many people have believed in and supported us from the very beginning. When we walk through the halls, looking at all the children actively engaged in their learning and watching the teachers so invested in helping them succeed, we’re so grateful to be a part of this incredible journey.
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When we walk through the halls, looking at all the children actively engaged in their learning and watching the teachers so invested in helping them succeed, we’re so grateful to be a part of this incredible journey.
